Occupation : Full-time
Period : Fixed-term contract
Place : Leuven
Apply before : August 31, 2013

At the MeBioS division of the University of Leuven a position is available for a motivated researcher interested in bionanotechnology.

3-D printing of plant tissues

The MeBioS division of the Biosystems department of the KU Leuven carries out cutting edge research in the area of bionanotechnology. It has a staff of about 100, amongst which about 65 PhD students.

Project
3-D printing is revolutionizing manufacturing processes in many areas. While several technologies are available today for 3-D printing, a wide range of materials from polymers to metals, printing of biological tissues remains challenging because of the delicate nature of the cells. The research in this area now almost exclusively focuses on printing of human organs. The objective of this research project is to develop technologies to print 3-D cellular plant tissues. Applications include3-D printing of foods  and bio-organic solar panels. In a first phase of the project, technologies will be developed to print cells extracted from macerated plant tissue in 3-D; in a second phase the cells will be replaced by microbeads mimicking plant cells and produced using microfluidic systems or gas-liquid flow focusing techniques. A collaboration with a top chef in molecular gastronomy to design innovative foods with novel texture properties is foreseen.

Profile
We are looking for a creative, enthousiastic and independent candidate with preferably an MSc degree in engineering, bio-engineering or (bio)nanotechnology. The candidate should be an EU citizen.

Offer
A PhD position for four years.

Interested?
More info ? Email your resume plus a motivation letter to prof. Bart Nicolai (bart.nicolai@biw.kuleuven) or .prof. Jeroen Lammertyn (jeroen.lammertyn@biw.kuleuven.be). We’ll come back to you as soon as possible.

You can apply for this job no later than August 31, 2013 via the online application tool